Author: Tomo Sarf

Around 5000 runners competed today at Sierre-Zinal on hills along Zinal in Val Anniviers, celebrarting the third round of the WMRA World Cup and third round for the GoldenTrailSeries.

Kilian Jornert (ESP) won the race for a legendary sixth time for this historic mountain running event. He waited after Chandolin to change pace and took the lead position for the rest of course  “It was an hot day for me today but I felt good and in second part tried to push hard,” said the Catalan. “Simpson gave a strong kick just after Chandolin and then understood was the right moment to go.Guys today were very strong so i am really happy for my result.”

Robbie Simpson (GBR) was second in Zinal today after a real hard competition against Jornet: “Good race for me,second place is positive news for me. I miss speedworks so impossible to run faster in second part but anyway happy.I didnt suffer hot weather today.Running here in ZInal was superb as usual and so fun.I will be back for JungrafuMarathon now.”

What a surprise from Robert Surum (KEN) who clocked an amazing bronze tday. Knowing the course from years ago, the Kenyan started slow and in the second part,when importat to run fast,he suddenly changed pace catching many athletes in front of him. “I knew the course very well so I waited intellgently first part to give my best in second part,” said the Kenyan. Surum pushed hard in last kilometers to reduce his gap from Jornet for 2min25sec.

With fourth place today,Francesco Puppi (ITA) confirmed another time his solid leadership in WorldCup WMRA Mountainrunning after a superb race against top level contenders.”I am so tired now but happy. Unfortunately I lost my bronze at 3km to the end, but I am happy for the competition and experience of running Sierre-ZInal,” said Puppi.

World champ mountain running Lucy Murigi (KEN) and last year’s winner here in Zinal, confirmed her title of queen of Sierre-Zinal by wiinning the race for third time.

She started fast from the beginning to run an incredible solo and her gap growed all the race against all contenders.

The Kenyan was so sure about her tactic, she said, “I came here in Sierre-Zinal to attack the course record. It was my main goal for the day and i tried starting fast.Unfortunately weather was hot so impossible but i am really happy about my race,i ran fast and my best so what else?!.”

Michelle Maier (GER) was second today after gold in 2016, and the suprise was Simone Troxler (SUI) who debuted for first time on this kind of course becoming brilliant bronze of the day just ahead of Ruth Croft from New Zealand.

Sierre-Zinal was a great success today,confirming its capacity to sublimated the entire off-road runnings’ souls.

rankings men-women: https://www.datasport.com/live/ranking/?racenr=20138 

“Jour-J” is approaching at great speed, as organizers and official media close to the organization like to call it. On Sunday, Sierre-Zinal will write the 45th chapter of an exceptional story. An impressive number for an event that for good reason has repeatedly made the “Course des cinq 4000” the New York Marathon of the off road running World.

IAAF-WMRA Mountain Running World Cup and Salomon Golden Trail Series: both at the stage number 3 of their calendar, are the underlying reason why all the fans and off-road running insiders anticipate a great race this year.

The trail from Sierre that leads to Zinal has 31 km with Chandolin, the Weisshorn and Barneuza on the route and where everything or almost everything can happen

Start List Elites Men 2018
Start List Elites Women 2018
Start List Veteran I Men 2018
Start List Veteran I Women 2018

There is a real concentration of talent and champions on the start for this year. Who will be in high Val d’Anniviers Sunday 12 August will have fun and beyond the 30th or 40th place they will still see runners of the highest level cross the finish line.

Catalan Kilian Jornet Burgada, 5 times winner stands out as an obvious favourite and running well after a winter injury a double fracture suffered on skis.  The come back began with a win at the Marathon du Mont Blanc (2nd stage of the SGTS) and so deserves the favourites tag here.  

Robbie Simpson always targets this race and with 2nd and 3rd places will look for his first win here.  He has raced sparingly from May until August and remember he has a Commonwealth Games Gold medal now so he brings a new confidence this year.  

The third name we want to announce is that of the American Joe Gray, who was already a protagonist but never a winner at Zinal.  He will be tough and is in good preparation for the World Mountain Running Championships in September in Canillo, Andorra.

Then there is the Norwegian Stian Angermund, excellent in Zegama and winner in Canazei this year, as well as the British Andrew Douglas and Jacob Adkin, the latter a surprise and new national mountain running champion only one week ago and already in evidence at Neirivue Le Moleson.

The elite list of athletes flying the Swiss flag is very rich, among them Pascal Egli, Stephan Wenk (5th in the Salomon GTS ranking), Daniel Lustenberger and François Leboeuf. Super armored team of France and the Italian team: Thibault Baronian (today 3rd in the golden trail series), Julien Rancon, Arnaud Bonin, Adrien Michaud, Raymond Fontaine and Alexis Savennec are certainly the most prominent names, while among the Italians the star is Francesco Puppi, leader of the WMRA world cup after two great results at Grossglockner and PizTriVERTIKAL. In addition to the long distance World Champion of 2017 there will also be Hannes Perkmann, Luca Cagnati and Manuel Bortolas.

But it does not end here: Juan Carlos Carera, the Spanish Oriol Cardona, the Basque Aritz Egea (king of Giir di Mont and Livigno), the Finnish Henry Ansio (8th in SGTS), the Colombian William Rodriguez (epic his 2nd place here in 2015 when he leaded the race for many kilometers), the Americans Andy Wacker and Max King, the Polish Bart Przedwojewski and the Kenyan/Austrian Isaac Toroitich Kosgei are all athletes to underline and capable of top positions. Without doubt rich in experience at a high level and connoisseurs of this type of races are also the Ethiopian Tefera Mekonen and the Kenyan Francis Maina and Japhet Mutwiri, or the super veterans who really deserve a chapter apart for the load of glory that carry with them: Marco De Gasperi, Cesar Costa, Robert Krupicka are part of the legend of Zinal and will use experience as well as great form to bring a top result.

Scrolling through the lists also emerge names of some young champions and we can mention the Spaniard Jan Margarit and Italian Davide Magnini but also of the Kenyan Timothy Kimutai Kirui.  A lot to look forward to!!

In the women’s field the spotlight is on Lucy Wambui Murigi, twice Queen of Zinal (last in 2017), defending world champion in mountain running and recently winner of Thyon-Dixence where she won well and swept away doubts about the recovery from the injury that had stopped her in the spring. She is an athlete capable of pushing to reach the record of the legendary Anna Pichrtova (she will also be at the start of veteran womens). The main outsider could be again Michelle Maier who won here in 2016 but who is struggling to find continuity at the highest level this season. Much more dangerous at first sight the Italian Silvia Rampazzo, 2017 long distance World Champ and bronze in 2018 as well as triumphing in the last Giir di Mont, or the stellar Ida Nilsson, undisputed protagonist of the sky running scene in 2018 and firmly at the head of the golden series. If the Swedish athlete is “at Zinal level” we will know only Sunday evening, certainly she will be among the protagonists as will the New Zealander Ruth Croft, the Spanish Eli Gordon and Laura Orgue and the American Megan Kimmel, another great champion of the Valais race where several times she was on or near the podium.

In the World Mountain Running World Cup Wmra a good result can revive the chances of several athletes and bring new ones into the rankings, primarily the Irish athlete Sarah McCormack who gained good points in Malonno, or Gloria Giudici who will run her 3rd consecutive cup-race. Italian hopes are also with Elisa Desco, winner of the 2013 edition and again on the podium in 2015 and 2016. UK runner Sarah Tunstall will be up there at the front and has focused on this race as has French runner Adeline Roche, world champion of Trail 2017. The list also includes the American Stevie Kremer, the South African Megan McKenzie, the Spanish Sheila Aviles and the French Celyne Lafaye, all athletes who will be interesting to watch.

Let’s take a moment to cover also the Veteran’s category, where we find the names of Ivana Iozzia (4th at Grossglockner, first world cup stage), Victoria Wilkinson and authentic legends like Angela Mudge, Anna Strakova Pichrtova and Aline Coumboulives.

The result of the SIERRE-ZINAL 2018 could decide the season of some athletes on these two important circuits in progress, where a good result will indicate the possibility of entering the fight at the top of the World Cup or the Golden Series that will continue after this race respectively with the Bergen Hochfelln Berglauf and the Smarna Gora Race for WMRA-IAAF and Pikes Peak and Ring of Steall and the final in South Africa for the GTS.

writing: alex scolari for corsainmontagna.it
photos: D.Benedetto/A.Courthoud/M.Gulberti

See what a vertical kilometre race is all about here with the YouTube clip here :

Coming from the World Mountain Running Association channel on YouTube please watch subscribe and share and enjoy!

WMRA World Cup 2018 – stage 3: in Zinal two worlds will meet for a memorable challenge
The mini tour of the mountain running world cup 2018 goes on, and after the emotions of the “ice giant” Grossglockner (austria) and the brand new Vertical K in Malonno (Italy) it is already time for the third round, next Sunday, on the” highlands d’anniviers” for the exciting and always very prestigious Sierre-Zinal.

The great classic of the Valais has already hosted WMRA events when in 2004 it was the theater of the first edition of the Long Distance Mountain Running World Championship.

Then it was won at the time by the Mexican Ricardo Mejia and the Swiss Angeline Joly.

The flag of the IAAF officially returns to Zinal 14 years later for a stage of the renewed world cup, proposing the big news of 2018 edition, in the “pivot” race (Zinal will be the 3rd race out of 5 total) of the world competition.

photos: Cesar Costar leads Robbie Simpson who will be back again this year.  Stevie Kremer (right) also returns in the women’s race after the birth of her first child.

In the two stages so far disputed to emerge were the figures of the Austrian Andrea Mayer, great dominator both at Grossglockner and PizTriVertikal, and that of the Italian Francesco Puppi, 3rd at Heiligenblut and then winner at Malonno. But other athletes have run both tests and could return to the race for the final victory thanks to Sierre Zinal, while many others could enter the world series just starting next Sunday.

A big theme of interest in view of the 45th edition of Sierre-Zinal is also the meeting between two offroad worlds. In fact, the 2018 edition will also host a stage of the Salomon Golden Trail Series, and the top runners from Zegama and the Marathon du Mont Blanc will be face face to face with the protagonists of Grossdglockner and PizTri for a memorable challenge.

The Course-track of Sierre-Zinal is the same as ever, which has built the mystique and myth: 31km with 2200 meters D + and 1100 D-, a very demanding first part with the rise from Sierre to Chandolin and then a long and spectacular Ride on the heights of val d’Anniviers, under the eyes of the “5 four-thousand” that crown them: Weisshorn (4506 m), Zinalrothorn (4221 m), Obergabelhorn (4073 m), Matterhorn (4478 m) and Dent Blanche (4357 m). After the passage to the Weisshorn hotel, one of the symbols of the race, the beating descent to Zinal that welcomes the athletes in a blaze of public, always exceptionally numerous and enthusiastic.

The race record belongs to Jonathan Wyatt, the current president of the WMRA and 6 times world champion in classic mountain running. In 2003 the kiwi stopped the chronometer on an incredible time of 2h29’12 “. Wyatt is also the only athlete able to stay under 2h30 while only in 3, Wyatt, twice Marco De Gasperi, and Ricardo Mejia, managed to stay under 2h31′.

Photo: Marco Degaspari a multiple Sierre Zinal winner.

The female record is dated 2008 and belongs to the legend of Rep. Ceka Anna Pichrtova (today Strakova after marriage with Samuel Straka) with the time of 2h54’26″, also in this case there is a small elite club of athletes who in 45 editions were able to run under the 3h wall, a club which includes only Anna Pichrtova Strakova (4 times), the Swiss Angeline Joly, the German Michelle Maier, the Kenyan Lucy Wambui Murigi, the Scotswoman Angela Mudge and the Italian Elisa Desco.

Photo: Lucy Murigi takes the win (left) as well as Elisa Desco (right) in their respective years.

The greatest multi-winners of Sierre Zinal are Rica Mejia and Kilian Jornet Burgada with 5 victories among men, and always Anna Pichrtova Strakova with 4 among women.

After the great Swiss race the world circuit will take a break to allow the World Championship to take place in Canillo (Andorra) on September 15th but will come back at the end of September with the final appointments, the Hochfelln Berglauf in Bergen (Germany) and the Smarna Gora Race in Liubljiana (Slovenia).

Writing: Alex Scolari for corsainmontagna.it media partner of WMRA in the 2018 World Cup
Pictures Credit: Damiano Benedetto, Alexis Courthoud, Race

Full results (below) from the Piztrivertical race held on saturday 4 August.  Andrea Mayr (AUT) currently leads the overall World Cup on 210 points ahead of Valentina Belotti (ITA) on 165.  Francesco Puppi (ITA) has 195 points on the men’s side 5 points ahead of Geoffrey Ndungu (KEN).

With a distance of 3.5km and 1000m of only uphill racing today’s PiztriVertical race in Malonno, Italy is the shortest event on the World Cup…but certainly not the easiest!  With mass starts at 10am and 11am the Women and Men were battling it out up this steep course on a perfect day.  A new record of 38min 11s is a phenomenal time on a VK race and it was Andrea Mayr the out and out favourite who delivered this sensational time.  

She broke the record of local Valentina Belotti who, while running strongly couldn’t match the pace from the Austrian.  Valentina ran 42min 49s with Ireland’s Sarah McCormack in third with 43min 26s.  

The men were a lot more tightly packed and Francesco Puppi also delivered on his pre race favourite tag and arrived on top with 34min 51s while Hannes Perkmann pushed him hard and arrived 24s behind in 35min 15s.  The top two from Italy and next to arrive were two Kenyan runners, Timothy Kimutai Kirui and Geoffrey Gikuni Ndungu who stayed close to each other in 35m 45s and 36min 00s respectively for 3rd and 4th positions. Bernard Dematteis and multiple World Mountain Running Champion Marco De Gaspari were 5 and 6th today in a very strong field.  Rounding out the top 10 were Sam Tosh (GBR), Andrea Rostan (ITA), Emanuele Manzi (ITA) and Nicola Francesco (ITA)

Photos:  Top three positions in women’s race with Andrea Mayr, Valentina Belotti and Sarah McCormack. 

Photos: Top 3 men with Francesco Puppi, Hannes Perkmann and Timothy Kimutai Kirui. Photo Credits: Alexis Courthoud, Marco Gulberti, Damiano Benedetto for Corsainmontagna.it

More photos, full results and video’s to come from today’s action. 

WMRA World Cup 2018: Mayr and Gikuni will lead field in PizTriVertical. with Degasperi, Puppi and Belotti for local fans.

In another sign of the growing cooperation and partnership between the IAAF and the WMRA, the two organisations will run a joint coaches conference before this year’s World Championships in Andorra.

The IAAF/WMRA Mountain Running Conference will take place on Friday, 14 September, two days prior to the championships, and will follow the successful format the IAAF has used for coaching seminars at its World Athletics Series events.

The conference will feature a keynote address by renowned endurance training expert and IAAF lead lecturer, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hartmann of Germany, and a presentation by six-time world mountain running champion Andrea Mayr of Austria and her coach/husband Andreas Sitz.

The IAAF Development Department regards the conference as an exciting initiative that will contribute to the further development of mountain running. WMRA President Jonathan Wyatt encouraged all of those with a specific interest in mountain running to attend.

“We are organising an evening for athletes and coaches to come and hear from the very best people about how to improve and get faster,” said Wyatt, who also ran to six world mountain running titles. “Mountain running has plenty of differences from other forms of running so it is a good chance for people to come and ask their questions and learn.”

“If this event is a success then the WMRA would like to expand this idea and help organise more events for people interested in coaching and mountain running training.”

Programme:
Friday, September 14 
19:30 – 20:15 – “Performance limiting factors of Mountain Running” by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hartmann (GER)
20:15 – 20:30 Q & A
20:45 – 21:30 Plenum: Best practise of mountain running training (Q & A), by Andrea Mayr and Andreas Sitz

Photos by Grossglockner Berglauf

Edited by Sarah Rowell

The 19^th edition of the Grintovec Run was held on Sunday, July 29, in Kamnik/SLO. Nejc KUHAR won the men’s title, and Mojca KOLIGAR, won the women’s title. Both athletes are Slovenian Mountain Running Team members.

On race day, the weather was hot with high humidity in the Kamniska Valley, not ideal for record-setting times. As the runners reached the summit at 2552 meters, temperatures were not as hot as the valley below, but the early heat took its toll. KUHAR was 5 minutes slower than his course record set in 2015. More than 200 runners from 12 countries participated in the event.

This extreme Mountain running race boasts 2000 meters of elevation gain in just 10 kilometers and in past years has been part of the WMRA Mountain Running World Cup. The neighboring Velika Planina, with the same LOC expertly chaired by Dušan Papež, hosted the World Championships in 2010 and European Championships in 2017.

Next year, the event will celebrate a milestone, its 20^th anniversary.

Top Finishers

       MEN                                  WOMEN

1. KUHAR Nejc 01:25:33         KOLIGAR Mojca              01:39:58

2. MIHELI? Luka 01:26:09         TRUNKELJ Barbara          01:45:52

3. BE?AN Timotej 01:28:51         BELUŠI? Barbara            01:48:36

Full results: https://prijavim.se/results/live_score/

Photo credit, Tomo Sarf, WMRA General Secretary.